The Senators have doubled down on one of their 2021 first-round picks.
After Xavier Bourgault signed on Thursday, Tyler Boucher became the next Belleville free agent to land a new deal, agreeing to a one-year, two-way contract for next season. It’s the second straight day Ottawa has re-signed a 2021 first-rounder, with general manager Steve Staios again looking to a familiar draft class for help.
Boucher’s case starts with the one thing the Senators are clearly betting on: health. Every year, that’s been the biggest storyline around him. And yet this past season gave Ottawa a reason to keep believing.
In 47 games with the Belleville Senators, Boucher posted 12 goals, 14 assists and 26 points. Stretch that production across a full 72-game AHL season, and it works out to a pace that would put him in the 40-point range.
For Boucher, that was enough to earn another contract. For the Senators, it was enough to keep the door open.
It was also, by far, the best pro season of his career so far, and Ottawa is hoping there’s still another level to come this fall.
That belief has roots in draft day. Back in 2021, Boucher was viewed by most analysts as a strong prospect and probably the most physical forward in the class, though almost nobody outside the Senators saw him as a top-10 pick. Ottawa did.
Now the organization is sticking with that bet, hoping Boucher can stay on the ice and keep building on the progress he showed in Belleville.
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